Sport

St Malachy's Thomas Frazer sets sights on Rio Olympics

Thomas Frazer currently occupies sixth place in the Irish marathon rankings with only three places available for the Rio Olympics
Thomas Frazer currently occupies sixth place in the Irish marathon rankings with only three places available for the Rio Olympics Thomas Frazer currently occupies sixth place in the Irish marathon rankings with only three places available for the Rio Olympics

THE cliché ‘last chance saloon’ does not go any way toward describing the situation facing Thomas Frazer in Sunday’s London Marathon. 

The St Malachy’s athlete currently occupies sixth place in the Irish marathon rankings with only three places available for the Rio Olympics.

It means that Sunday’s race is do-or-die for the 34-year-old who cut his teeth in successful Glengormley CBS and St Malachy’s College cross country teams before going on a scholarship to Butler University in Indianapolis.

Frazer now lives in the greater Chicago area with his American wife and two children, but has been home in Ligoniel for the past five weeks as he targets a spot on the Irish Olympic team. During that time he has set a personal best mark at the world half marathon in Cardiff, finishing third of the Irish competitors, and less than two weeks ago won the Titanic Quarter 10K in his native Belfast.

“I’m just excited about Sunday and that it [getting to the Olympics] is a realistic objective,” said Frazer. 

“I ran a personal best in Cardiff and I’m in a good position to go for it. I’m excited now but I expect I’ll get a lot more nervous as we get closer to Sunday.”

With Paul Pollock likely to be selected on the basis of his 14th place at the world half marathon, the former Glengormley CBS schoolboy star would have to jump to at least second in the standings to be sure of selection for Rio. That would mean he needs a time of around 2:14.

“I’m hoping and expecting there will be a group going for 2:14, that’s also the British standard, and I would think there will be a bunch of good English runners going out for that time.”

Pollock pulled out of Sunday’s race earlier this week, wisely preferring to stick rather than twist after an exceptional 14th place in the recent IAAF World Half Marathon Championships. Although only ranked fourth on time of the Irish marathon runners, Pollock’s performance in Cardiff was clearly superior to anything achieved by those ahead of him.

Another Belfast runner also lines up on Sunday. Stephen Scullion has spent the last year training in Australia with Nic Bideau’s crack group of distance runners. The former North Belfast Harrier could be considered a genuine dark horse although he has only raced the distance once before and that as a pacemaker for the leading woman in the Belfast marathon.

North well represented at London races ?

NORTHERN Ireland is represented in all six Mini London Marathon races on Sunday morning at the Virgin London Marathon. It is the official British Athletics three-mile road championships for young athletes aged between 11 and 17.

The course is three miles long, stretching from London’s Old Billingsgate to The Mall. The event is open to entrants from the nine regions of England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, and will include teams from all 33 London Boroughs.

Previous winners of the Mini London Marathon and Mini Wheelchair Marathon include double London 2012 Olympic gold medalist Mo Farah, and competitors from the London 2012 Paralympics – silver medallist Shelly Woods and David Weir, winner of four golds.

James Edgar leads the team and will now have ambitions of a top three place in the individual race. He is supported by, among others, the impressive North Down athlete Craig McMeechan, Beechmount’s Christy Conlon, City of Lisburn’s Patrick McNiff, Eoin St. Malachy’s Eoin Maguire and Fintan Stewart from City of Derry Spartans.

The U17 girls’ team, spearheaded by Omagh Harriers duo Enya Haigney and Niamh Heaney,